Fans Sue Manny and his Camp for Consumer Fraud Following Injury Disclosure

The fall-out of the fight of the century—Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this past Saturday—has upset more people than brought joy to their lives, as it was expected to do. Critics called the fight a dud, while supporters said Mayweather showed himself the better boxer with his tactics.

But now that Manny Pacquiao has shed light on a shoulder injury, while some commend his courage and commitment, other fans and officials are calling foul. His omission of the injury from the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s pre-fight questionnaire is likely to be punished with fines and suspensions. That isn’t the only woe Pac-Man faces in the looming near-future, however, as now there are fans who think they’ve been wronged as they argue that what they paid for wasn’t what was given to them.

Two particular fans who watched the fight this past weekend have engaged in a class-action lawsuit against the Filipino boxer on account that he did not disclose his shoulder injury. Stephane Vanel and Kami Rahbaran claim in the lawsuit that Manny “cheated” hundreds of fans who paid for the PPV, as well as gamblers who bet money on the fight by keeping the shoulder injury secret. They tagged Pacquiao, Bob Arum, Top Rank Boxing among others for consumer fraud and demand no less than US$ 5 million in damages.

The lawsuit states the following:

"Defendants prior to and at the time the plaintiffs and the class decided to purchase tickets; purchase pay per view showings or wagered on the event the defendants knew and had full knowledge and information that defendant Pacquiao had been seriously injured and was suffering from a torn rotator cuff. Defendants further know that such injury would severely affect his performance."

Top Rank’s attorney Daniel Petrocelli say the allegations are false, and that Manny’s injury was cleared for the fight, but that he reinjured it during the contest. According to him, that the public was unaware of his injury prior to it is of no relevance. He told ESPN that it is a “frivolous lawsuit and we are confident it will be dismissed.”